Integration of Gis and Multi-Criteria Evaluation for Land Suitability Assessment of Arable Crops in Ondo State, Nigeria

Ilias Akinola Adebayo; Herbert Tata; Nelson Opeyemi Adenikinju

doi:10.62762/JGEO.2026.947858

Article Information

Published in Journal of Geoscience and Earth Observation

Volume/Issue Volume 1, Issue 2, 2026

Pages 113-136

Abstract

Agriculture plays a vital role in Nigeria’s food security and economy, yet crop productivity depends heavily on land suitability. This study assessed the suitability of land for arable crops in Ondo State using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques. Nineteen (19) parameters, including soil, hydrogeomorphological, climatic, land-use/land-cover, and socioeconomic factors, were integrated. Datasets were obtained from sources such as Sentinel-2 Dynamic World, SRTM DEM, MODIS temperature, CHRS rainfall, ISRIC soils, and OpenStreetMap. The criteria were normalised, reclassified, and weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Weighted overlay analysis was then performed to generate suitability maps for Maize, Cassava, Yams, Plantain, and Vegetables. Results showed clear spatial variations in suitability. Plantain was the most suitable crop in S1 (12.01%). Maize followed with 7.34% in S1. Yam had the highest percentage (29.88%) in S2, indicating widespread suitability across the state. Cassava dominated in S4 (26.52%) but faced more constraints. Vegetables had the least in S1 (6.72%) and the highest in N (11.67%), making them the least suitable. Final outputs were presented as thematic maps to aid visualisation and decision-making. The study concludes that GIS-based land suitability assessment is a reliable tool for optimising arable crop cultivation in Ondo State. It highlighted highly suitable zones and identified limiting factors; the results provide evidence-based guidance for farmers, policymakers, and agricultural planners. This study recommends adopting the generated maps for land allocation, crop planning, and agricultural policy to improve yields and ensure sustainable land use.

Graphical Abstract

Integration of Gis and Multi-Criteria Evaluation for Land Suitability Assessment of Arable Crops in Ondo State, Nigeria

Keywords

land suitability arable crops GIS AHP Ondo State crop planning

Data Availability Statement

Data will be made available on request.

Funding

This work was supported without any funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

AI Use Statement

The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Not applicable.

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Adebayo, I. A., Tata, H., & Adenikinju, N. O. (2026). Integration of Gis and Multi-Criteria Evaluation for Land Suitability Assessment of Arable Crops in Ondo State, Nigeria. Journal of Geoscience and Earth Observation, 1(2), 113-136. https://doi.org/10.62762/JGEO.2026.947858

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TY - JOUR
AU - Adebayo, Ilias Akinola
AU - Tata, Herbert
AU - Adenikinju, Nelson Opeyemi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/28
TI - Integration of Gis and Multi-Criteria Evaluation for Land Suitability Assessment of Arable Crops in Ondo State, Nigeria
JO - Journal of Geoscience and Earth Observation
T2 - Journal of Geoscience and Earth Observation
JF - Journal of Geoscience and Earth Observation
VL - 1
IS - 2
SP - 113
EP - 136
DO - 10.62762/JGEO.2026.947858
UR - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JGEO.2026.947858
KW - land suitability
KW - arable crops
KW - GIS
KW - AHP
KW - Ondo State
KW - crop planning
AB - Agriculture plays a vital role in Nigeria’s food security and economy, yet crop productivity depends heavily on land suitability. This study assessed the suitability of land for arable crops in Ondo State using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques. Nineteen (19) parameters, including soil, hydrogeomorphological, climatic, land-use/land-cover, and socioeconomic factors, were integrated. Datasets were obtained from sources such as Sentinel-2 Dynamic World, SRTM DEM, MODIS temperature, CHRS rainfall, ISRIC soils, and OpenStreetMap. The criteria were normalised, reclassified, and weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Weighted overlay analysis was then performed to generate suitability maps for Maize, Cassava, Yams, Plantain, and Vegetables. Results showed clear spatial variations in suitability. Plantain was the most suitable crop in S1 (12.01%). Maize followed with 7.34% in S1. Yam had the highest percentage (29.88%) in S2, indicating widespread suitability across the state. Cassava dominated in S4 (26.52%) but faced more constraints. Vegetables had the least in S1 (6.72%) and the highest in N (11.67%), making them the least suitable. Final outputs were presented as thematic maps to aid visualisation and decision-making. The study concludes that GIS-based land suitability assessment is a reliable tool for optimising arable crop cultivation in Ondo State. It highlighted highly suitable zones and identified limiting factors; the results provide evidence-based guidance for farmers, policymakers, and agricultural planners. This study recommends adopting the generated maps for land allocation, crop planning, and agricultural policy to improve yields and ensure sustainable land use.
SN - pending
PB - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge
LA - English
ER -

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@article{Adebayo2026Integratio,
  author = {Ilias Akinola Adebayo and Herbert Tata and Nelson Opeyemi Adenikinju},
  title = {Integration of Gis and Multi-Criteria Evaluation for Land Suitability Assessment of Arable Crops in Ondo State, Nigeria},
  journal = {Journal of Geoscience and Earth Observation},
  year = {2026},
  volume = {1},
  number = {2},
  pages = {113-136},
  doi = {10.62762/JGEO.2026.947858},
  url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JGEO.2026.947858},
  abstract = {Agriculture plays a vital role in Nigeria’s food security and economy, yet crop productivity depends heavily on land suitability. This study assessed the suitability of land for arable crops in Ondo State using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques. Nineteen (19) parameters, including soil, hydrogeomorphological, climatic, land-use/land-cover, and socioeconomic factors, were integrated. Datasets were obtained from sources such as Sentinel-2 Dynamic World, SRTM DEM, MODIS temperature, CHRS rainfall, ISRIC soils, and OpenStreetMap. The criteria were normalised, reclassified, and weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Weighted overlay analysis was then performed to generate suitability maps for Maize, Cassava, Yams, Plantain, and Vegetables. Results showed clear spatial variations in suitability. Plantain was the most suitable crop in S1 (12.01\%). Maize followed with 7.34\% in S1. Yam had the highest percentage (29.88\%) in S2, indicating widespread suitability across the state. Cassava dominated in S4 (26.52\%) but faced more constraints. Vegetables had the least in S1 (6.72\%) and the highest in N (11.67\%), making them the least suitable. Final outputs were presented as thematic maps to aid visualisation and decision-making. The study concludes that GIS-based land suitability assessment is a reliable tool for optimising arable crop cultivation in Ondo State. It highlighted highly suitable zones and identified limiting factors; the results provide evidence-based guidance for farmers, policymakers, and agricultural planners. This study recommends adopting the generated maps for land allocation, crop planning, and agricultural policy to improve yields and ensure sustainable land use.},
  keywords = {land suitability, arable crops, GIS, AHP, Ondo State, crop planning},
  issn = {pending},
  publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}

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